Dhaka – The authorities have suspended environmental clearance certificate for a shipbreaking facility in south-eastern Chattogram district.
The Department of Environment (DoE) revoked the clearance for SN Corporation (Unit-2) and the MT Swarajya scrap ship breaking yard at Sitakunda, a statement of the department said on Sunday.
The suspension came after at least one person was killed and 12 people were wounded in an explosion of MT Swarajya scrap ship at the yard of SN Corporation, said the department.
The Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Syeda Rizwana Hasan ordered the suspension, it added.
DoE also served them notice asking for explanation within three working days as to why their operations should not be permanently shut.
All ship-breaking activities of the Swarajya scrap ship will remain suspended until further notice, said the statement.
On September 7, 2024, an explosion occurred during the cutting of the MT Swarajya ship at the ship-breaking yard of SN Corporation (Unit-2) at Sitakunda, Chattogram, leaving one person killed and 12 others wounded.
Initial investigations revealed violations of several conditions of the environmental clearance and breaching of the condition of the scrap ship’s clearance, the department said.
